


from candlelight spark, a rising flame

by kotokei



Category: Fire Emblem Series, Fire Emblem: Rekka no Ken | Fire Emblem: Blazing Sword
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - Superheroes/Superpowers, F/F, Gen, M/M, Multi, basically i really like superpowers and i really like mythological creatures
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-04-10
Updated: 2018-05-02
Packaged: 2019-04-21 05:04:45
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 11,034
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14277516
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kotokei/pseuds/kotokei
Summary: Eliwood's busy-but-peaceful college life ends abruptly after his father goes missing while investigating a string of murders and disappearances, usually of people with registered superhuman abilities. When Ninian returns to his life, however, she brings more questions and a vital clue that kicks off Eliwood's own investigation into his father's work and the darkness surrounding it - and Hector, Lyn, and Florina aren't about to let him face the danger without them.





	1. the beginning

**Author's Note:**

> The first thing I do when I get into a fandom is make AUs, apparently...This fic pretends that Elibe is like a state in the United States, with Lycia as a county and Pherae, Ostia, etc as cities in Lycia. 
> 
> A note: for superpowered humans, abilities are linked to different mythological creatures. Besides Ninian, who literally turns into an ice dragon, I won't be revealing what beasts their powers draw from until the end so you'll have ample time to guess if you want! :>

There is nothing particularly noteworthy about the day that signals the beginning of what almost becomes the end. 

On that day, Eliwood, in order: has breakfast with Hector, Florina, and Lyn, goes to classes, has lunch with some soccer teammates, goes to more classes, practices sprints for track and field, and returns to the dorm to do homework while waiting for Hector to get back from football practice so they can eat dinner together.

Around the time that Eliwood is expecting him, heavy footsteps pause in front of the door and the redhead looks up from his work just in time to watch Hector step in and drop his bag unceremoniously on the floor. The college’s resident star athlete (alongside Lyn) doesn’t seem surprised at all to find his boyfriend nestled comfortably in his blankets on his bed and only offers a boisterous “I’m back” before dropping onto the bed as well. 

Eliwood greets him with a fond smile and tilts his head back for the usual quick “welcome back” kiss, settling comfortably against Hector as the other maneuvers him and the blankets into a better position for holding. His roommate is content to then cuddle and fiddle with his phone for a few minutes; finally, Hector shifts to look over at what Eliwood’s been working on for the past hour. 

“Is that for Prof Marcus?” 

Eliwood hums an affirmation, long-used to the way the other man likes to maintain a little physical contact after any time apart at all, and flips through the textbook to a different section of the reading in preparation for another question. In response, Hector groans almost theatrically (“Fuck, I haven’t even started yet and I’m already tired”) before dropping his face into Eliwood’s shoulder and nuzzling the redhead’s neck roughly, prompting a small noise of disgruntled protest. 

“Go shower already, you big oaf,” Eliwood, starting to get hyper-focused on the assignment, shoves lightly and half-heartedly at the other man’s cheek. The action leaves a tiny amount of sweat on his hand, prompting him to wrinkle his nose and quickly swipe his hand across Hector’s still damp jersey. 

“Alright, alright, I’m going, I’m going,” Hector laughs, pushing off the bed with an exaggerated groan and stretch before heading off to the shared bathroom. Eliwood can faintly hear Lyn saying something and Hector responding in mock indignation before the door fully closes and the shower turns on after a few moments. 

And then, suddenly, heralded only by a few notes of his mother’s favorite song, the busy peace that has become his college life’s normal is shattered. 

Eliwood’s cell vibrates from its customary place near the edge of his desk before cheerfully trilling the ringtone he set specifically for Eleanora. Eliwood frowns, just a little, in confusion - it isn’t particularly strange for his mother to phone him, but she tends to call later in the day to avoid potentially catching him in class or in the middle of some event. Still, he picks up immediately and the initial puzzlement quickly turns into ice-cold dread and heart-stopping terror at the wobbly, fragile tone of her greeting and the words themselves. 

“Eliwood, sweetheart...it’s your father.”


	2. spark

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Elbert's disappearance leaves his son reeling during the last weeks of the semester. Eliwood accepts that there's nothing he can do...until Ninian shows up with a vital clue that sends them to Santaruz to visit an old acquaintance of the family.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Help...this chapter got away from me. I thought it would be done earlier, but I also thought it was going to be five thousand words. Silly me. = w =; 
> 
> I would expect around a month between updates if the chapters continue to be this long. Also...if there's anything that I might need to tag regarding warnings, it'll be here in the notes. That said, minor character death (this happened in canon) happens at the end of this chapter.

The two weeks and three days until winter break are a blur of activity.

Eliwood throws himself into his studies even as his thoughts on his father’s disappearance weigh heavily on him, even as his worries act like an ever-present veil, making it difficult to focus on anything at all.

His mind keeps returning to the phone call itself, the way his mother had tearfully and haltingly told him all the information that the police, that Lycia County Police Chief Uther himself, had relayed to her. There is the memory of fleeting but immensely horrified pity towards Hector’s older brother - how had Uther reacted when he realized his newest case was the disappearance and probable murder of a longtime friend?

It was Eleanora who told him to complete the term if he could bring himself to do it - at that point, there had been three days of regular classes left, with the rest the semester comprised of a study week and finals week. Eliwood had protested instinctively before he calmed down enough to think about it more rationally; they had both known there was nothing that could be done for Elbert by either of them.

His friends prove amazingly supportive: somehow, Lyn and Hector work out a schedule so that at least one of them is nearby whenever he’s not in class and Florina offers quiet but vital support in picking up the slack on chores so the other three have less to worry about. They enlist one of Eliwood’s track and field teammates when it becomes clear that he isn’t eating well, Hector recalling how the redhead had always preferred the culinary student’s cooking whenever he wasn’t feeling well in the past. Lowen shows up regularly with homemade comfort foods and snacks, bringing hot meals whenever he can find the time to do so; Eliwood comes perilously close to crying when he realizes what’s going on.

Eliwood is incredibly glad there are no sports events or practices during study week or finals week; there doesn’t seem like enough time to study for exams or work on presentations as it is, and the orchestra having concerts during the weekend before finals only stresses him out more. He catches Hector, Lyn, and Florina exchanging worried glances and hushed conversations when they don’t think he’s looking, knows that they’re running themselves ragged trying to balance their own college activities and studies with their attempts to take care care of him.

(When it first became clear that none of them were fooled by his attempts at appearing okay, Eliwood had tried exactly once to persuade them to focus on their own troubles. Needless to say, that hadn’t worked at all.)

For better or for worse, that is the way the semester finally ends; Eliwood has never been so simultaneously eager and hesitant to leave, unsure of whether or not he’ll end up preferring the stress of college over giving his mind time to focus on Elbert’s disappearance.

(As it happens, his winter break _is_ spent focusing on Elbert’s disappearance - just not in the way he had expected to do so.)

* * *

With them all living within a reasonable driving distance, the other three visit as much as they can, sometimes even spending a night or more with mother and son.

Eliwood had feared that having nothing mandatory to do would leave his mind open to imagining his father’s fate, but it is easier to smile when Hector and Lyn are yelling at each other over Mario Kart while Florina stomps them yet again, easier to laugh when they’re marathoning hilariously bad movies and throwing popcorn at each other.

The combination of access to better, healthier meals and more rest, a lack of constant pressure, and the constant support from his loved ones pays dividends; being home does wonders for Eliwood’s flagging health even within the first week of winter break. It’s a positive feedback loop: he feels a bit more normal and less stressed beyond belief and interacts with them more, so they’re heartened by signs of recovery, and so they're happier and the atmosphere is better, and then he’s happier because they are, and so on. It also helps to be close to Eleanora - having his mother right there, having someone within arm’s reach who understands all too well what he's feeling and finds his presence a comfort as much as he finds hers, makes things feel...easier.

(Besides, he _had_ missed her greatly while in college.)

* * *

During the second week of vacation, things change yet again.

The four of them had made plans with Ninian and Nils to catch up and hang out at a local cafe they all like weeks before the semester had even ended, but neither sibling shows up. 

They exchange worried glances when two hours pass with no sign of their friends; even more troubling is the complete absence of a text or attempt to call from either of them. When Eliwood’s phone vibrates, he reaches for it quickly, hoping for something from Ninian or her younger brother, and immediately stiffens at his mother’s name flashing across the screen, at his phone starting to trill the tune that had so drastically changed his life a few scant weeks ago. He picks up, and somehow manages a shaky “Mom?” from his suddenly impossibly dry throat.

“Eliwood? Please come home as soon as you can.” She must realize where his mind goes when he can’t muster the words to ask why, because she quickly adds, “your friend Ninian is here and she’s been asking for you pretty insistently. It must be very important, so please hurry back.”

Eliwood’s body immediately remembers how to breathe again, having frozen completely in dread. Hector and Lyn had visibly tensed when his face drained of color, and Florina’s wide eyes still reflect his fear back at him.

“We’re heading home now. Can you let her know that Hector, Lyn, and Florina are coming back with me?” His closest friends had already started packing up their things and throwing away any lingering trash while he was speaking; at this second part, Lyn looks up and mouths “Ninian?” at him and when he nods, gives a silent sigh of relief.

While he grabs his own things, he hears Florina quietly ask Lyn if she should drive instead.

“I’m worried about her too,” Florina says, gentle, “but I don’t have powers that make cars seem slow sometimes, so it’ll be easier for me to get us home without being pulled over.”

“I...want to say no, I can handle it, but. I would probably break a speed limit or two trying to get back faster, huh?” Lyn admits ruefully before handing her keys over to her girlfriend, kissing Florina on the cheek in appreciation.

They pile back into the car and for once, the drive is a quiet affair. Eliwood drums his fingers absently on the armrest, thoughts humming a mile a minute until Hector catches his hand in his bigger one. The redhead looks over, startled; Hector, seeing him watching, lifts Eliwood’s hand to press a kiss to the side of his palm.

“Hey,” he says, quieter than usual to accommodate the mood in the car, “she’s at your house. Alive. Coherent, if she’s asking to see you. She’s okay, or she’s gonna be, and we’re going to help her if she isn’t. Yeah?”

Hector makes things sound so simple, especially when he sounds so confident. It’s never not been reassuring and it gives Eliwood the strength to at least give him a weak smile as he voices his agreement.

* * *

When they arrive, the redhead quickly unlocks the door, calling out, “Mom? Ninian? We’re back!” and the four quickly head in at Eleanora's prompt answer of "we're in the living room!" 

Ninian looks up when he pauses in the doorway, taking in the wear and tear of her clothes and the messiness of her hair with increasing worry. Thankfully, she seems at least mostly uninjured; there are few visible scrapes or bruises and she doesn’t seem to be in pain - Eliwood knows that her powers come with the rather helpful side effect of healing at least a little more quickly than the average human and the side effect of being harder to hurt, even without shifting at all to a more draconic form.

“Eliwood, I...please, it’s…” Ninian doesn’t seem to know how to continue, but then she silently offers him what she had been hunched slightly and protectively over. Once it’s in his hands, the tense look she had been wearing fades into an unmistakable expression of relief.

For a moment, Eliwood just stares at the folded piece of paper he’s been given; he recognizes this personalized stationery, and the hope and shock keep him still for a moment before he makes to look at what’s written on it.

What he sees makes him furrow his brow in confusion - the only thing on the sheet is an incomprehensible jumble of numbers and letters, but...

“This...looks like my dad’s note paper. How did you…? What is….?” Eliwood starts, slowly taking a seat on the couch next to Ninian after showing Lyn and the others the strange message.

“I...can’t recall much,” she says, looking at her now-empty hands. Eleanora, noticing her gaze, quickly steeps another pot of tea, passing mugs around (Eliwood surmises that Ninian had likely refused a drink in favor of holding onto that all-important paper slip, which by now he has realized most likely contains the code to something).

“I don’t know when I...when or where I was taken...and their faces are...feel...blurred out. I just remember a lot of darkness, and that it was...freezing,” Ninian pauses, shivering a little like just thinking about the place is making her cold again. His mother immediately passes over a blanket; the dancer thanks her quietly, pausing for just a moment to gather her thoughts. When she does continue, she locks eyes with Eliwood again.

“I know that...Mr. Elbert was there too. And Nils, as well. They...helped me escape. And Mr. Elbert said to..give you...and only you...that passcode.” Eleanora gasps at her husband’s name and Eliwood glances down at the slip of paper again. It’s his father’s handwriting on the brand of specialized note paper that he likes to carry around, and the combined sense of familiarity provokes both relief that Elbert is alive and pain at the reminder of how much he misses his dad’s presence. Ninian has the same look of grief and loss on her face, the same look of fear he sees on his mother’s face and in the mirror, and he gently places a hand on one of hers, hoping to provide a gesture of comfort, of support. She seems a little surprised at first, but not uncomfortable, even slowly turning her hand palm-up so that they’re essentially holding hands.

“There were people...chasing me, so I transformed...partially...to get away. But...transforming at all made me...more confused. All I knew for sure...was that I absolutely had to find you...and that I had to get that information to you,” Ninian continues softly, gaze lifting from where their hands are clasped together to Eliwood.

“Oh Ninian…..” Eliwood trails off, unsure of how to reply before squeezing her hand once and settling on what he knows for sure, “I’m so glad you managed to get here safe. And thank you for...for letting us know that Dad’s still...that Dad’s still alive.” He doesn’t say that being alive a few days prior doesn’t mean that Elbert’s alive now. All of them know this already. Her smile back, before she looks down at her lap again, is genuine if weak and fleeting.

There is only somber silence for a long moment after that, with concerned glances exchanged all around. Finally, Lyn places an arm around the still-desolate Ninian, tugging her gently into a side hug, careful not to displace the tea.

“Hey, it’s going to be okay now. We’re not going to let them get you again, and Eliwood has the code; you got it to him, so we’re going to figure out what’s going on and get Nils and Eli’s dad back,” she soothes, running her fingers through Ninian’s uncharacteristically tangled hair gently; all of them know that Lyn’s words are both a reassurance and a promise, and she has only ever broken promises under extreme conditions. Eliwood finds his gaze drawn back to the password, wondering why his father chose to give it to him rather than send Ninian to Uther or anyone he would have worked with on the case.

_Unless..._

“We can’t tell the police anything,” he says, finally, sending Hector a beseeching look, “because there’s almost definitely a mole somewhere, and we have no idea how high up they are.”

“That’s…” Hector starts, and Eliwood knows he wants to defend his brother, the people his brother approved.

“I’m sorry, Hector, but my father would never have involved us...would never have had Ninian give a bunch of college students the code if he didn’t think something was wrong with the police,” Eliwood insists, willing him to understand. His boyfriend looks like he wants to say something, frustration clear on his face, but Hector is smarter and more rational than people give him credit for; Eliwood’s logic is sound, and they both know Elbert wouldn’t put them in danger if he could have found any other way.

“Fine, fine, you’ve made your point,” Hector grumbles his concession and Eliwood sends him an apologetic look, but his boyfriend barrels on in his characteristic way, already moving forward. “What’s this code to, anyways? Do you know your dad’s laptop password?”

“I do know the password to my father’s personal laptop,” Eliwood says slowly, “and this isn’t it. Which means…”

“It’s probably the password to something he wanted you to find,” Lyn finishes. Eliwood carefully and gentle lets go of Ninian’s hand, offering her one last smile before he retrieves his father’s private computer, Florina and Hector clustering around in anticipation. The initial search yields nothing, but that is unsurprising considering the secrecy of what they’re looking for; Elbert is the best private investigator in Lycia for a reason, and even the laptop he keeps strictly in his home office offers no obvious tells.

What does become increasingly clear is that the search will likely take a few hours just from the sheer volume of content. Lyn suggests that one or two of them should sit with Eliwood just to make sure nothing gets accidentally missed and to have the perspective of someone not in Elbert’s immediate family and they end up drawing out a rotation with Eliwood as the constant. Lyn and Hector are insistent on his taking breaks as well; Eliwood wonders aloud that sometimes it seems like the only thing that they can agree on is fussing over him, to Florina’s amusement and a faint smile from Ninian. No amount of teasing will move either of his best friends, however, so Eliwood resigns himself to their schedule.

There’s a notification sound and Hector checks his phone, balking a little at whatever he finds before leaving the room, calling out that he needs to talk to Uther as he goes. Lyn looks torn between continuing to sit with Ninian and taking the first shift; Florina, perhaps seeing her girlfriend’s indecision, hops up off the couch to take the seat next to Eliwood. Eliwood smiles at her kindness and the brief look of grateful surprise that comes over Lyn’s face; Florina offers a shy smile back before the two of them turn determinedly to the laptop.

He’s so engrossed in the search that he barely notices when Hector re-enters and jumps when his boyfriend leans over his shoulder with a “what’d I miss?”

“Oh, u-um...we haven’t found a match yet,” Florina replies while Eliwood takes a moment to let his heart rate settle again. “But...we’ve gone through several folders already.”

To demonstrate, Eliwood highlights the ones they have already searched through in the Documents library. Hector whistles, “that’s not bad at all, but damn, Eliwood.”

“I know,” Eliwood groans, slumping a little, “Dad just has...so much stuff saved up.”

It takes a long while, but eventually, finally, Eliwood notices a strange discrepancy that leads them to their goal: Elbert has a folder of folders named “Vacation Photos” in his Pictures library, organized by location and then by when he went to the specific place if he had gone there more than once. Opening the London pictures archive from when they went as a family yields a set of folders organizing his photos from that trip, but, as Eliwood points out to the others, they never went to the National Gallery. The seemingly innocuous folder labelled as “National Gallery Visit” leads to several more folders, one of which, finally, unlocks when the password Ninian brought them is entered.

Their triumph is short-lived. Elbert’s notes are too heavily encoded for them to find any coherent clues; much of what they can decipher consists of either single words or small two-word phrases.

However, they do find something significant: Elbert had been steadily teaching Eliwood a personal visual code to prepare him for his apprenticeship at the agency before the disappearance, and it is this code that marks one single word incredibly important.

_Santaruz._

“Santaruz? What’s in Santaruz?” Lyn asks. Eliwood stares down at where he’s written the word out. Nothing suspicious has been reported from the affluent little city, with crime rates higher than average but not by much...when several similar and decently close areas had reported a significant difference in the number of murders and disappearances. His father would have picked up on this quickly, and he would have…

“I need to go there,” Eliwood says, mind racing. Hector clears his throat and then grumbles when Eliwood says nothing in reply, still mentally trying to retrace Elbert’s steps. When his muttering still doesn’t rouse his boyfriend, Hector gives up and elbows him in the side.

“ _We_ need to go there,” Hector corrects swiftly once he has the other’s attention, utterly unconcerned by the dirty look he gets from Eliwood, the redhead rubbing the newly sore spot pointedly. “Why are we going to Santaruz? You think your not-gramps might know something?”

“Mayor Helman probably talked with my father before he went missing, yes. Besides, the crime rates in Santaruz aren’t quite following the norm. Which would be a good thing, but it’s still...strange, so I want to ask him if he knows anything,” Eliwood explains, frowning as his gaze catches on a clock mounted to the wall. Lyn follows his gaze and claps twice decisively, much like she does at the end of her sports teams’ huddles, before getting to her feet, “we can see if the mayor’ll meet us some time on the weekend tomorrow - I don’t know about you guys, but I’m beat.”

Eleanora agrees all too readily every single time Eliwood asks if the others can stay over; Eliwood knows the empty house in the weeks before he came home must have been unbearable. The sympathy that comes over him is overwhelming and he reaches over to hug her when they go to set up the guest room for Lyn and Florina again. She pats his back before tilting her head up to kiss his cheek, murmuring "thank you, Eliwood, I’m alright." 

The way she seems to have suddenly aged from the worry and stress she’s been under suggests otherwise, but Eliwood knows he got his reluctance to trouble others from her and knows better than to push. Instead, he stays close a moment longer before letting go to add a few extra blankets, changing the largely unspoken subject by cheerfully suggesting breakfast foods for the coming morning. Before he leaves, she shoots him a mischievous smile and Eliwood’s both glad and afraid for it; his fears are realized when she promises to make a good impression for him on Ninian since the two of them will be rooming together, and that’s his cue to make quickly for his own room, leaving behind the sound of her quiet laughter…

...for Hector’s louder guffaws when Eliwood begrudgingly tells him why his face is still pink. Disgruntled and just slightly sulky about the lack of support, he smacks the bicep of Hector’s left arm a few times in protest (this, if anything, only makes Hector cackle more) even as he crawls over his still chortling boyfriend to settle into the side of the bed closer to the wall.

“Ah, come on Eli, you know she’s not going to say anything too bad. Besides, she couldn’t really do this to you when we started dating ‘cause we all know I was the uglier baby,” Hector cajoles when Eliwood doesn’t turn over to face him, still staring in stubborn embarrassed silence at the wall instead. Eliwood, for his part, tries to hold onto his sullenness but a small huff of a laugh cracks through at Hector’s self-quip and anything sour dissipates completely when his boyfriend gathers him closer at the sound to press a gentle kiss to his temple.

“Hey there,” Hector grins when Eliwood finally shifts to face him. The redhead tries to look exasperated but he knows he’s failing at it; after all the surprises of the day, the familiarity of going to sleep safely enclosed in the warm circle of his boyfriend’s arms is too comforting a prospect not to smile at.

...Still, there is something bothering him from earlier.

“Are things okay with Uther? Do you need to go home?”

“Nah,” Hector says, grimacing slightly, and, this close, Eliwood can feel his shrug, “I can stay. He just wanted to talk about some stuff, but it’s not that important.”

He’s slightly skeptical about this, since Uther isn’t the kind of person to call about trivial matters, but…

“...tell me if things change, okay? I don’t want to make trouble for you. And I really _am_ sorry about not being able to tell him.”

“Yeah, I know, but don’t worry about it,” Hector says before scooting closer to exchange a single kiss, tired but heartfelt, “you’re not trouble for me. Ever.”

It feels like his heart goes helplessly gooey at that and he moves in to kiss his boyfriend goodnight one more time. They huddle in close together after, falling asleep quickly from the exhaustion.

The night passes mostly uneventfully; Eliwood wakes up twice to nightmares that have haunted him on and off since Elbert went missing and has to bite down on what would have been a scream the second time around. Hector shuffles a bit in his sleep in response, and Eliwood holds his breath until his boyfriend starts snoring again. He can’t fall asleep again after that, but he tucks himself under Hector’s chin the best he can and listens to the calming sound of his boyfriend's heartbeat until the clock hits 8:30 AM, at which point he disentangles himself from Hector and gets ready for the day.

Eleanora is already there by the time he makes it to the kitchen and she greets him tiredly before putting him on eggs and bacon duty while she makes pancakes and prepares fruits. A variety box of muffins sits cheerfully on the table; bagels and toast have been set next to the toaster, with bins of cream cheese and butter nearby. Between the two of them, they have breakfast ready by the time the others start wandering downstairs. Lyn and Ninian come into the kitchen first, greeting both mother and son warmly.

“I can set the table, Auntie,” Lyn says, rolling up the sleeves of her giant Lycia U sweatshirt while Ninian chimes in with her own offer to help.

(She looks leagues better than she did yesterday, but there’s still the traces of grief and worry over not knowing how Nils is faring that she can’t hide. Eliwood, not for the first time, wishes dearly that he could do something.)

“No, no, guests don’t do chores, that’s what the children are for,” Eleanora smiles, angling a sly glance at her son, who just rolls his eyes at her teasing.

“Guests don’t do chores, but we’re family,” Lyn insists, and Eleanora concedes defeat gracefully with a “I suppose you have a point, my dear. Have at it, then” and a reminder of where all the assorted dinnerware and cutlery are. By the time Florina and Hector have come down, everything is in place - Lyn ribs Hector about being the last one there, and he counters that not everyone can have her freakish energy right after waking up. The others, long-used to these oft-repeated squabbles, pay no mind to the dueling pair and simply maneuver around them (“more butter, Ninian?” “oh, no, thank you, Mrs. Eleanora” “could you pass me an apple, Florina?” “o-of course!”).

The banter evidently makes them both ravenous because when they finish making quips at the other’s expense, they begin clearing the table quicker than the other four put together.

“So, hey, Eliwood,” Hector starts between quick bites of another bagel, “are you calling Helman today?”

“I will, yes.” Noting Ninian’s mildly confused expression, he smiles at her and explains, “Mayor Helman worked with my father before he retired and became the mayor of Santaruz. And he actually worked with my grandfather during my grandfather's time as Pherae's primary private investigator as well.”

“He doesn’t have any kids or grandkids or whatever, so Eliwood’s like his pseudo-grandson or something,” Hector adds, grinning, “means we’ll probably be able to meet with him whenever we want.”

“Within reason...actually, I’ll go do that right now,” Eliwood says, excusing himself from the table. Stepping into the hall, he takes a deep breath before dialing the mayor’s number; there’s a sense of nervous anticipation that makes him fidget a little as the phone rings.

“Hello, Eliwood,” the old man greets warmly upon picking up the phone, and Eliwood smiles instinctively in response.

“Hi Mayor Helman. Are you...are you busy right now? Should I call back later?”

“No, no, you’re fine, dear boy. But I’m thinking this isn’t a social call, yes?” Helman’s voice drops a little quieter, getting more solemn.

“Ah...you’re right. Erm...this is a bit sudden, but. Would it be possible for me to come over some time with a few friends? There are some questions I have, and...I don’t think it would be a good idea to ask them over the phone,” Eliwood confides, suddenly nervous again. While he believes Helman would do anything to help them find Elbert, while he believes that one of their oldest family friends would never do anything that could hurt his father, something just doesn’t _feel right_ …

There is a brief silence before the mayor speaks again. “My home is always open to you, Eliwood. Come over any time on the weekend, and I’ll answer what I can.”

“Thank you,” Eliwood sighs, relieved. “Then we’ll probably head over tomorrow morning…I’ll see you then?”

“Yes, that’s fine. I’ll have the gates set to let you in,” Helman muses, almost to himself, before the two of them exchange goodbyes. Eliwood returns to the dining room to find the table as pristine as it was in the morning before they had breakfast; a quick search finds his mother and friends in the living room again.

“So, are we going to Santaruz?” Lyn asks, looking up from where she and Florina had been researching older ciphers and codes.

“Tomorrow morning, bright and early,” Eliwood confirms, torn between amusement and fond exasperation when Hector, predictably, groans. Lyn might have been on the verge of making a similar complaint about waking up so early on the weekend, but she immediately switches to heckling Hector instead. Eliwood tunes out the ensuing bickering with practiced ease, turning to where Ninian and his mother had been chatting before he entered.

“Ninian...what do you want to do tomorrow? You can absolutely stay here with Mom if you want, especially since you’ve had such a terrible time lately...but, um, of course you can come with us, if you want? I..erm, ah, we love spending time with you, even if this isn't exactly the best situation....Er...Or is there something else…” He can feel his cheeks going hot in embarrassment, both at his rambling but especially at the inadvertent admittance (the way his mother brings her hand up to hide her amusement really isn’t helping with that).

Luckily, Ninian doesn’t really seem to notice. She looks down at her lap for a moment, very clearly deliberating, and then meets his gaze again.

“I want...I want to go with you. I want to help find Mr. Elbert, and I want to save Nils,” Ninian says, quiet but firm. Eliwood smiles at the determination in her tone and on her face.

_Things have definitely changed from the day we met..._

 “Well, now that that’s settled...why don’t you join us for a little bit? Hector can handle looking at some old news by himself, I’m sure,” Eleanora says, looking meaningfully at the empty spot on the couch next to Ninian.

“Hector can definitely handle that by Hector’s self, so Eliwood should take a break,” Hector, having evidently heard her, looks up to flash a bit of a shit-eating grin at them before going back to his laptop. Eliwood rolls his eyes at their obvious conspiracy before smiling at Ninian; jokes from the peanut gallery aside, he’s worried about her, and a less serious chat could do them both some good.

Friday passes by quickly after that. 

* * *

 The next morning, Lyn and Florina head out early to fill up on gas; once Florina texts that they’re almost back, the other three make for the curb to wait outside.

“Eliwood…be careful,” Eleanora pleads before he follows Ninian and Hector, worry shining clearly in her eyes. “I know you want to find out what happened to your father, and so do I, but...don’t make me lose you too, okay?”

“I know, Mom. I’ll definitely do my best to stay safe,” Eliwood promises, sympathetic to her fears of having to live through burying her husband and her son.

“And all of us will be there to protect him too,” Hector says with a confident smile, having heard the last part when he came back to see what was keeping Eliwood. “We won’t let anything happen to Eliwood, so don’t worry.”

“I’m worried about you and the other kids too, Hector. Make sure all of you come home to me,” Eleanora says sternly in response, stepping closer to hug him briefly. Eliwood smiles to himself at the surprised but pleased look on Hector’s face and the way he hugs her back before they separate. His mother has always seen his closest friends as her family too, and is never shy about showing it. A loud beep comes from Lyn’s car and the boys hurry to join their friends; Eleanora waves until they can’t see her anymore, and Eliwood hopes she’ll distract herself with company rather than worry about them until they’re back.

The drive almost feels normal - Lyn and Hector quibble over what radio station to listen to and get indignant over bad drivers putting them all in any degree of danger while Florina chooses what they actually do listen to and looks for sign names and house numbers. Eliwood spends his time checking and calling out the GPS directions (and trying not to think about how his father would have been able to find Helman’s place without them). Ninian seems preoccupied, playing with her scarf at times and her phone at others; she offers a small smile nonetheless when Eliwood gently leans his shoulder into hers in the same silent comfort and support offered to him by Hector through the way their lower thighs are pressed to each other.

In what seems both like an eternity and a too-quick instant, they arrive at the mayor’s residence. Helman’s estate looks as grandiose as ever; the gleaming gates open to admit them when Eliwood speaks into the intercom to show an unimpeded view of wide, neatly mowed lawns with beautiful sculptures dotted throughout, as well as a lovely marble fountain in the middle of it all, the pathway to the house splitting into two around it.

The gates close just behind Ninian, who had been trailing a little behind the others. Eliwood tenses, instincts suddenly flaring to life; a quick glance confirms that his best friends have also noticed that something is amiss. There is the uncomfortable feeling of something, of some strange presence, suddenly looming over all of them; his unease proves to be justified a moment later when a cloaked figure saunters out from behind the fountain.

“Welcome, children,” the stranger says, his low voice almost a purr. The smile on his face doesn’t look much like a smile at all and it only twists more when he asks “I suppose it would be too much to hope that you’ll all die quietly?”

“What kind of question is that?!” Hector's answer is a low growl, his hand already going to the ring he wears around his neck.

(Despite the situation, Eliwood feels a little warm, and not in the way that comes with using his power. That ring is....) 

The steel of the ring immediately and seamlessly spreads up his arm to cover his entire body and Eliwood settles into position next to him, his customary blade out of its sheath. There’s the beat of powerful wings behind him, and Eliwood knows without looking that Ninian has shifted into a more draconic form for the fight.

“Why would we just let you kill us?” Lyn doesn’t try to keep the incredulity or anger out of her voice. Behind her, Florina’s hands are aglow with the telltale shimmer of her power; she calls out a quick warning as masked people come creeping out from behind trees and sculptures.

“Well, it’s fine,” the man says, unperturbed as he sits back down on the side of the fountain, “I’ll just wait, then.”

That seems to be the signal; they’re swarmed immediately, assailants coming from all angles.

“Florina?” Lyn asks, already directing sizable bursts of wind at the incoming crowd and sending some of them stumbling or flying backwards.

“I’m on it,” her girlfriend promises, and a barrier flickers into place, bullets and purple flashes of dark energy bouncing off harmlessly. Within the protective dome, Eliwood sets his sword alight with his flames and Ninian throws an arm out to direct hovering shards of ice towards those who had continued to edge closer. Lyn must have been able to track some of the trajectories because the wind picks up and fairly juggles some of their less fortunate foes, making them easy targets for her friends; the ranged attacks halve almost immediately, but Eliwood’s distracted by the bodies still in Lyn’s impromptu tornado - is it his imagination, or are there fewer in it than before…?

There’s no time to continue gawking, however; there are quite a few close and mid-ranged fighters nearby already, and Florina cannot maintain a barrier of this size for too long, especially not when it is taking damage from so many people. Eliwood counts down under his breath and then ducks, rolling behind some cover outside of the barrier. Some of them immediately turn to him, and he lunges, whip-fast, to send one to the ground just from the force of his momentum before turning quickly to slam the hilt of his sword into the gut of another, moving smoothly into a sweeping kick afterwards to send a third tumbling.

He stays low to the ground, unsure of how many long-ranged combatants are left; a quick flick of his free arm and fire streaks forward in three different directions to burn his opponents’ weapons to ash. They fling their knives and bats away hastily and Eliwood notes their confusion over not being burnt distantly, more focused on watching for anybody nearby who might have a gun and cancelling any bursts of purple that come near with his flames. When the three get over their puzzlement, they advance on him again, this time unarmed; Eliwood wonders if perhaps they had fallen into the trap of believing his flames always held no heat and increases the temperature of the fire coating his blade enough that the warmth can be easily felt in the cold winter air in warning. There is some cursing from his foes before they run at him anyways and Eliwood lessens the amount of heat again to try to avoid dealing any fatal blows when he meets them with a quick flurry of jabs and kicks at pressure points to send them to the ground for good. 

The noises of the battle are loud around him and, with how many people are still standing, it is hard to keep track of his friends. He does notice, however, that there are progressively fewer energy blasts to dodge or shoot at and the sound of gunfire lessens to nothing; it must be from the collective efforts of Lyn, speeding ahead with her sharp eyes and fierce attacks, and Ninian, still flying above them all and sending shards of ice down from above, swooping down suddenly every now and then to use gravity as the force behind her blows. He throws himself out of the path of another attacker and has to quickly flip away to the side to avoid a second knife. There’s a telltale rumbling and both of his foes make noises of alarm and confusion when the earth beneath their feet suddenly rises to trap them in place; from there, it is easy for Hector to slam into them and send the two sprawling senseless to the ground.

“How’d they know we were gonna be here?!” Hector asks, grunting as more people take their place; he takes multiple hits from their weapons, none of them having much of an effect on his steel, before dispatching them all via giant cones of hardened soil.

“I don’t know!” Eliwood answers, heart racing as he dodges and parries; he sends a wide arc of flame forwards with his sword as a distraction before rushing forwards to disarm and knock out those unlucky enough to be within reach. “Try not to kill them!”

“No promises, but you’re right, we can try to get some answers from them!” Lyn races by, taking out some of their masked enemies before they can even react; somewhere along the line, Hector must have made Florina a lance from the broken sculptures because Lyn has to amend her statement when her girlfriend makes one of their opponents _vanish_ with a well-placed blow, “well, some of them, anyways!”

“Where...how and why are they disappearing…?” Florina looks flummoxed even as she ducks away from an attack and responds by sending the man to the ground.

“They might be golems, or something in general that someone else summoned,” Eliwood answers, thinking back to some of his father’s more spectacular cases.

_So that’s why there were fewer bodies earlier…_

“That goes with something I noticed,” Lyn says thoughtfully even as she kicks another enemy into the wreckage of what used to be a tree.

“What is it?” Eliwood urges, sending a few giant waves of flame rising forward and away from the five of them to deter anyone else from making a move while she talks and allowing the crackle and roar of the growing fire to distract their foes from her words. 

“Anyone without a symbol vanishes when they’re hit hard enough, but if they have this mark on their arm, they don’t,” she responds, motioning to the tattoo on a downed foe’s arm.

“....the mark looks kind of familiar,” Eliwood frowns in concentration, trying to remember where he’s seen it before.

“That’s the Black Fang tattoo, right? Uther has a lot of trouble from them sometimes,” Hector suggests; at his words, recognition sparks and Eliwood nods.

“I think you’re right...but why is the Black Fang attacking us…?” The second part is murmured, quiet, more to himself than a question to the others. There is a quiet cry in the background as Florina throws her lance to stagger a foe before yanking out her nunchucks to take down some unlucky stragglers that had been waiting for the wall of flame to roll past.

“Right, less talking more taking down the leftovers!” Lyn calls, rushing back in to help as Eliwood’s flames disappear into nothing, the last wave dissipating before it can hit Helman's house, much like the other waves had done before it. The world shudders a little for him - it had taken much of his stamina to maintain and control the direction, growth, and temperature of flames that size, and Hector must immediately notice because then his boyfriend’s by his side.

“Ninian! Watch Eli for a bit, will you? He’s overdone it, as usual.” Eliwood scowls a little at his words but he’s panting just a little too hard to contest, the feeling of being unable to breathe easily all too familiar. The earth moves as Hector fashions a rudimentary cover out of marble, dirt, and what ore and metal he can find lying around before going to rejoin Lyn and Florina's efforts. 

There is the sound of wings and then a cool presence is by his side; the coldness of the scales on Ninian’s hand feels good to his feverishly hot skin even through his jacket and button-down and he closes his eyes for a moment against the heat and exhaustion, trusting her to protect them both if anyone happens to be lurking nearby.

(Eliwood’s expecting her to take her hand back but perhaps she has noticed that her touch brought him comfort because she moves and stays closer than would be necessary behind the impromptu barrier, hand moving down to hesitantly take his too-hot hand in her probably-too-cold one. They exchange quick smiles and a moment of peace before Eliwood rests the back of his head against the structure serving as their cover and Ninian lets go of his hand to more easily help their friends when she can. There might be few people remaining, but it wouldn’t do to get surprised on the battlefield.)

The short break does him good; by the time the others have finished with the cleanup, Eliwood is feeling much less woozy and much less inclined to collapse.

Which is just as well, as there is still one foe left, and his expression, rather than showing any kind of fear, just reads as annoyed. 

“Hey!” Hector calls, standing over two downed Black Fang members, and glaring his challenge at the leader, who has thus far remained at his perch on the edge of the fountain in the middle of Helman’s front yard. “Aren’t you going to bail your minions out?”

The cloaked figure doesn’t seem too concerned about what looks like his imminent loss, casually removing the hood of the cloak to reveal what appears to be a human male. Long purple bangs fall in front of one side of his face, while the rest of his hair is pulled back into a low ponytail. Eliwood intently examines what he can see of their last opponent to try to find the mark of the Black Fang, but too much of the man is covered. 

“You don’t want me to help them, I assure you,” he promises darkly, but gets up off the marble to dart forward nonetheless, drawing several throwing knives as he does.

In response, Hector slams his palm down on the ground and there is a rumbling noise before the soil twists underneath the man. However, the dirt only trembles, apparently unable to do anything else; their attacker smiles darkly at the attempt to delay him before sending the knives at them, seemingly wholly unaffected by the earth trying to destabilize him. One of Florina’s barriers shimmers into existence immediately, but the weapons sail on through, unimpeded. Her power not working seems to stun her momentarily, but that moment lasts long enough that only Lyn’s burst of enhanced speed saves her girlfriend from two knives to the collarbone and chest.

“What the fuck?!” Hector’s surprised exclamation at both his and Florina’s powers being negated by their foe is a succinct summary of everyone’s thoughts. Lyn, still holding her shaken girlfriend protectively, makes an angered noise before she’s bringing her hand up to direct a gale of punitive force at the man. Perhaps sensing the intent, he dodges quickly to the side; their opponent’s lips curl into a nasty smirk before he’s on the offensive again, this time closing the distance and lunging at Eliwood with a bigger blade. The redhead immediately coats his own sword in the familiar hues of his orange-yellow flames again; the man does not seem to care, stabbing forwards with his knife regardless, and Eliwood dances away out of range quickly before parrying the other’s next move. With their weapons locked, he wills his flames to spread to the other’s knife; to his alarmed surprise, however, nothing happens and the deadlock is instead broken by Lyn dashing towards the fray with the intent to pummel the mysterious assailant.

Somehow, the man manages to track her approach and avoids several brutal punches and kicks despite the fact that Eliwood can only barely track her movements; he knows he wouldn’t have had the ability to block or dodge her at all at that range and speed.

_Why aren’t our powers working against him? Is his power an immunity against all other powers? But Lyn’s still getting in a good number of hits which means her speed isn’t...wholly negated? That or...does he have some kind of speed power as well? Maybe it's just not as good as hers...?_

Seafoam and white-blue flash downwards from the sky as Ninian lands a solid stomp on the man before sending shards of ice to try and trap him. However, the man is less winded than he should be after taking a blow from Ninian’s mostly dragon form and he manages to dodge away from the projectiles.

 _So her greater strength didn’t have any effect on him, but he ran from the projectiles? Is it direct contact that’s the key? But Florina’s barrier didn’t come into contact with him at all..._  

Eliwood sends a few small but quick shots of flame after the fleeing form; despite how the fire hadn’t phased him before, the man immediately veers away from them now. The redhead’s brow furrows in confusion at the discrepancy, but the fight continues; all his running from Ninian and Eliwood has brought the man within Hector’s range.

Hector takes advantage of the lack of distance between them immediately, lunging forward into a punch with a heavy steel fist, catching the man’s shoulder in what should have shattered bones but only makes their opponent stumble backwards like a normal glancing blow would. He ducks under Hector’s next attack and then barely recovers his footing when Florina dives in to trip him. Eliwood is poised to run forward and help when he chances a glance at where Ninian is hovering, an intense look of concentration on her face, noticeable even through the draconian features. She notices his confusion and explains, frowning, “I can’t freeze him...he was running from my ice, so I thought he might….not be able to stop the ice-related abilities…but...”

Eliwood’s mind races as he turns back to the ongoing battle, lifting a hand to see if he can perhaps ignite just a small spark on the man's clothes from afar, similar to what Ninian's trying to do with her ice; nothing happens, and he’s aware of his heart beating quicker in anticipation while he combs through the fight and the man’s interactions with their powers as fast he can because he’s sure he can figure out what’s going on, what’s _right there_ …

_Florina's barrier couldn't stop him, Hector couldn't manipulate the earth against him and super strength did nothing...he dodged Lyn's blast of wind, but he did seem to struggle with her super speed a little more, Ninian can't freeze him and I can't set him on fire, but he ran from the shards of ice and he ran when I shot flame at him...So then..._

Ninian startles when he suddenly runs forward, but he pays little attention as he speeds towards where the fight is. 

“Guys! He does negate powers, but he’s not immune to everything equally - and projectiles have had more of an effect than anything else so far! Use those or try to fight him without your powers!”

The man must see him approaching even as he sends Lyn and Florina jumping backwards to avoid the dual blades he had been using because he suddenly drops both and whirls to face Eliwood, hand plunging under his cloak to hastily draw out a chain with a blade attached to the end, sending the blade flying unerringly towards the redhead.

Eliwood’s eyes widen; he’s too close and his momentum is too strong for him to avoid it at this range; can he even raise his sword in time to block? He can't tell past the sudden realization of  _I'm going to die_ and there is, distantly, Ninian’s cry of horror and Lyn’s shout of dismay, the sight of Florina desperately trying to summon a barrier for him in time, even though she must know it won’t have any effect-

the man’s triumphant expression is obscured by a familiar back and Eliwood’s heart stops completely, with all the air suddenly gone from his lungs-

Eliwood can't see the moment it happens from behind Hector but his boyfriend cries out in pain when the blade sinks into metal as if it were nothing but flesh and bone before it is ripped back out cruelly-

and Hector slumps backwards, steel retreating just in time to avoid crushing Eliwood underneath him; as it is, Hector’s normal weight sagging towards the ground brings the redhead down onto his knees (though he doesn’t think they would have held him up anyways, with how numb and weak he feels).

Faintly, through the return of his suddenly deafening heartbeat, he hears their mutual best friend _scream_.

“You’re going to pay for that, you asshole!” Lyn shrieks, furious, and renews her ferocious assault with Florina determinedly backing her up, anger strange and obvious on her normally gentle features.

Eliwood is only peripherally aware of the ongoing fight, however, with how preoccupied he is by suddenly having an armful of heavily bleeding boyfriend. He thinks he might have forgotten how to move or breathe for a moment, staring dumbly at the wound

(the wound he got protecting you, Hector got hurt because of _you_ , this is _your fault_ ).

Thankfully, Ninian is there almost immediately; she quickly unbuttons Hector’s shirt up to the wound and takes off her scarf to try to stem the bleeding once she can access the injury, apologizing softly at Hector’s grunt of pain. The white-blue fabric turns red alarmingly quickly; Eliwood, finally freed of his paralysis at the sound, moves to take Hector’s hand in his own, staring down blankly at his boyfriend’s pained face.

 _Please_ , he thinks, _please do not take away someone I love, not again._

_Don’t let me lose anyone else._

Everything turns blinding white for a moment; there is, suddenly, something like the crackle and roar of growing flames in his mind, the sensation of something immense drawing near and then rushing past in breathtakingly powerful movements

(just like those times _before_ ).

Hector must notice something wrong when his grip slackens, but Eliwood can’t find a way to respond to his and Ninian’s increasingly frantic calls until the noise and sensation in his head passes, taking with it enough of his panic for him to think a bit more clearly.

“I’m...here. Hector, stop...stop worrying about me, you’re still...it shouldn’t be...fatal, but you need medical attention, and rest, and _I_ need to call an ambulance, you’re still really hurt,” he reaches for his phone but Ninian stops him, guiding his hand gently to where her scarf is still pressed against the injury instead.

“Let...let me call. Please,” she says, quiet, knowing, and Eliwood surrenders without a fight, limply nodding before taking his other hand out of Hector’s weak grasp to hold the scarf against the wound better. When Ninian moves to make the call, he takes in a shuddering breath to brace against the tears.

“You...better be okay, Hector. We’re going to have that talk about being a human shield again and I’m going to make sure you get plenty of rest, so you have to hang in there.” His boyfriend’s eyes are closed now, but he gives a weak laugh at that, muttering a quiet “I’ll hate that” in response.

“Mm-hmm. But you have to stay alive and you have to heal first so we can do that. _Please_ , Hector. Please be okay. You...you have to, please, _please be_ \--”

Light bursts into existence around them.

Ninian reels a little, startled, from where she had been on the phone, and she and Eliwood exchange wide-eyed looks at the glow surrounding where he and Hector are. The initial flash of white-gold disintegrates into many, many little glowing orbs of yellows and oranges, flickering on and off almost like fireflies.

The tiny little lights gather where Eliwood is still diligently holding the scarf and the feeling of indescribable warmth and comfort washes over him as they seem to pass through his hands to the wound. Another moment passes in silent awe and confusion, all eyes on the mass of glowing yellows and oranges which seem to be getting brighter and brighter until it turns back into white-gold and disappears as suddenly as it appeared.

Hector gasps sharply, and Eliwood has the horrible thought that maybe they had just witnessed an attack from the enemy and done nothing to stop it before his boyfriend gives him a heart attack by starting to sit up. The redhead yelps in surprise, trying to push him down again with a harried “what are you doing, you’re injured” but stops when Hector grabs hold of his hand on the scarf and disentangles the fabric from where his fingers had gone numb clenching onto it. It falls to the ground (Eliwood has the sudden thought that they absolutely have to buy Ninian a new one, and almost hysterically pushes it to the side because they are standing on a _battlefield_ right now), and Eliwood is once again face to face with…

Nothing?

The wound he had been expecting, the wound he had braced himself to see again, is, quite simply, gone.

“You’re...you’re _okay_?” Eliwood breathes, questioningly, staring down at where the injury had been in something like wonder and confusion but mostly in relief. Hector, perhaps sensing that his boyfriend is still in some shock, gently brings Eliwood in for a hug, tucking fiery red-orange hair under his chin in a practiced move, secure in the knowledge that the girls would never let anything happen to them.

“Yeah. Yeah, I’m okay. You healed me, Eli, I’m okay ‘cause of you,” Hector says, so much quieter than usual, the words rumbled reassuringly into Eliwood’s hair. Eliwood instinctively shifts backwards to protest - after all, Hector had gotten hurt taking the blow for him in the first place, so Hector had been decidedly _not_ okay because of him; Hector knocks the side of his head lightly and Eliwood stops rambling to send him a disbelieving stare.

(There’s a quiet giggle nearby from where Ninian is still kneeling behind some cover, having finished her call to the authorities. Eliwood normally loves her laugh, but right now it only adds to his indignation.)

“See, Ninian knows you’re being an idiot,” Hector teases, having apparently also heard her amusement. She seems to fluster a little at his statement, however, stammering that she wouldn’t go that far; Hector laughs in response and his usual booming timbre soothes some of the unease still twisting Eliwood’s heart.

A yell of exertion splits the air and all three of them look towards where Lyn and Florina had been dueling the man. Eliwood and Hector both recognize the sound from years of knowing Lyn - it’s the sound that she makes when she’s about to land a good solid blow, and the pattern holds true this time as well; the man is sent sprawling and has to hastily give ground to avoid a nasty follow-up from both girls. When he finally gets away, the stranger tsks in annoyance, watching warily as the friends regroup and narrowing his eyes in a displeased glower when he notices Hector back on his feet. Eliwood can just barely hear him mutter “this isn’t going as planned. That old fool, misleading Lord Nergal on the children’s strength…” before their opponent apparently reaches his decision. With one last sneer, the man turns and disappears, seemingly consumed by a dark purple light. The same light flashes twice inside the house, visible through the windows on the upper floor, and the strange presence that had hovered over all of them vanishes.

Threat seemingly gone, Ninian shifts to a mostly human form, retaining just a few draconian features in preparation for a potential second ambush. Lyn and Florina’s faces brighten as one at their realizations that Hector is standing upright with ease, Florina quietly but earnestly telling him how glad she is that he’s okay while Lyn even goes so far as smacking him in the arm with a relieved command to “don’t scare us like that, you big oaf!”

(If the contact between her fist and his arm goes on longer than it normally would, no one says anything.)

“Well, it’s not like I’m trying to get stabbed,” Hector protests, before his grin almost splits his face and he tugs Eliwood into his side, “besides, now we know Eli’s got badass healing powers!”

“I would really have preferred not to find out from you bleeding all over the place,” the redhead quips dryly, exchanging exasperated looks with Lyn and helpless smiles with Florina and Ninian.

“Well, congratulations on the new ability, Eliwood,” Lyn’s smile is sincere, even proud, before it wavers as she turns towards the house. The relieved, more light-hearted atmosphere is gone in an instant.

“I’m...we’re going to check on the mayor,” she corrects herself when her girlfriend quickly grabs hold of her hand before she can take off, “you guys hurry over too, Eliwood, Ninian...Slowpoke.” Even before she’s finished the taunt, she’s making a beeline for where Elbert’s oldest friend lives, carrying Florina in tow. Hector huffs an expected complaint about Lyn’s speed powers and where she can stick them but it lacks heart and Eliwood’s own heart sinks. When Hector cannot hide his worry, things tend to be very, very bad and Ninian seems to have picked up on this; her face has gone drawn and tense with concern and sympathy alike.

As soon as they enter, Lyn’s calling for them to head upstairs towards Helman’s personal quarters. The tone of her voice spurs Eliwood to put on a burst of speed, utilizing the techniques he’s learned from years of sprinting; Lyn is expressive and anything that makes her sound like that cannot be good.

“Mayor Helman!” Eliwood scrambles to get inside the small bedroom, Hector thundering after him with Ninian just behind, and stumbles to his knees when he sees just how much blood has already seeped into the man’s clothes. Lyn and Florina are already there, talking in soft tones above where Lyn’s hands are pressing a balled-up blanket to Helman’s stomach.

“E...Eliwood? Is that you…?” the mayor’s voice is a faint rasp; Eliwood clasps one of the dying man’s hands in both of his own, willing his newfound power to stop the bleeding, to heal damaged organs and skin and muscle, to do anything to stop what seems inevitable. There’s a flash of white-golden light again before the warm glow from earlier winks into existence over the wound momentarily, flickering yellows and oranges shine almost inquisitively, and his heart soars --

\--and sinks in turn as the little lights seem to tremble as one before they all fade to muted grays and then vanish into thin air almost immediately. Ninian makes a quiet noise of dismay nearby, Hector makes a louder noise of confusion at his back, and Eliwood is inclined to agree with both of them.

Unlike with Hector, Helman’s health changes very little, if at all, and Eliwood...doesn’t understand why. He’s only aware that he has been staring blankly at Helman’s injury and chanting “please” and variants of “heal him, let Mr. Helman be okay” under his breath when the man squeezes his hand to catch his attention.

“It’s...too late for me...my...dear boy…” Helman seems to be barely able to keep his eyes open, but continues on doggedly despite the kids’ attempts to get him to rest and wait for the ambulance that must surely be coming soon from Ninian's earlier call, “that man...Eph...idel…..he did...his weapons...did something…”

He pauses to cough, and it sounds wet and awful. Eliwood glances instinctively at movement in the corner of his eye; Florina had huddled closer to Lyn at the sound and Lyn has an arm around her, but the sheer compassion on her face as she looks back at him makes it even harder to suppress his tears. When Helman speaks again, however, Eliwood looks down to the dearly familiar face again.

“Forgive me...his words were...too much. I never meant...for Elbert...anyone to...get hurt...but that matters….little now...” The old man’s gaze, bleary and pained as it is, is beseeching and speaks equal parts sorrow, shame, and love. Whatever he sees in Eliwood’s face makes him smile faintly before his own turns determined.

“Listen...Darin Laus...is involved….If you want...to know more….find him.” The old man gasps, his body jerking a little in tired pain and his face loses what little color it had retained. The tears that have been gathering in Eliwood’s eyes finally fall and only the familiar comfort of Hector’s chest behind him and the new comfort of Ninian’s shoulder against his keeps them silent, keeps him from involuntarily interrupting the man who had been like another grandfather to him. The mayor finally settles again and gives them all one last smile, features tired but soft and warm.

“Be careful, children….you are all in...such terrible danger…Take care...of each other...look after...them…E...lias...old friend…”

With a tired little sigh, Helman closes his eyes. He does not open them again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hoo boy, that took forever. 
> 
> Elias is just the name of Eliwood's grandfather...I gave that name to him because I didn't know what his canon name is ahaaaa....
> 
> Next time, Florina gets a level-up and Eliwood gets to talk to an old..."friend". Just kidding, no one likes Erik. We also might be meeting the Reeds and we'll get closer to finally finding Elbert. 
> 
> Unrelated: Anyone else struggling with getting good pulls in FEH lately? Because wowee I've been Massively Unlucky ; w ;  
> Slightly More Related But Also Not That Related: I've actually come up with ideas for a FE4-5 fic set in this AU and focused on the Leonster family (mostly Finn. I love Finn, the poor dear). Ha....haaaaaaaa......................Help.
> 
> Finally, thanks for reading! If you're a first time reader, welcome and thank you. If you came back to this fic because the prologue wasn't terrible, thank you! And to the people who kudos'd and commented, an extra big thank you because that is really good for the Motivation! 
> 
> See you next time! - kotokei/naturaeli (yes, it's a pun.....yes, I'm a loser....)

**Author's Note:**

> Just this short little mostly fluffy prologue for now. I have no idea what my update schedule will be like, but I have this entire fic planned out (in fact, I have the /prequel/ already planned out). Actually writing it all out, though....:') 
> 
> Anyways, I hope y'all enjoy however much of this fic eventually exists! Kudos/comments are always appreciated; thanks for reading and getting this far, and see you soon in the next update (hopefully).


End file.
